Sealing means



July 31, 1928. 1,679,315

A. E. LOW

sumac MEANS Filed larch 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 31, 1928.

A. E. LOW

SEALING MEANS Filed March 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 31, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIE EDGAR LOW, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SEALING MEANS.

Application filed March 22, 1927.

This invention relates to improvements in sealing means and more particularly to sealing means adapted to be used in connection with locks and especially with that class of lock with which is associated a protruding locking bolt, such as grommet locks for mail bags and the like.

Generally speaking the present invention may be described as an improved locking seal for mail bag looks as covered in my pending United States application Serial No. 162,771, filed January 22nd, 1927.

The objects of the invention are to provide, in connection with my grommet lock,

improved means for sealing said lock, which cannot be tampered with without breaking and which, in operation, will double lock the seal-carrying strip.

Other objects of the invention are to pro vide a seal ofthis description that can be used alone or with locks of other construction than grommet and adapted to other purposes. In short, a locking seal in the form of an attachment that can be employed under any suitable circumstances.

A further object is to provide a device that when locked cannot be interfered with in any way without the interference being disclosed.

In the art to which the present. invention relates it has heretofore been proposed to seal a locking bolt with a strip extending therethrough and provided at its loose ends with a seal. This, as will be readily appreciated, was by no means a reliable guard against tampering and it was practically impossible to know whether attempts had been made to do so or not.

In accordance with the present invention these ditficulties are practically overcome and a combined safety first seal is provided which cannot be tampered with with impunity.

This result is largely due to the fact that the sealing means and the. lock are intimately associated with one another, a sealing strip of special and novel construction being detachably anchored in the locking bolt and extending through openings registering with one another at separate points in the lock casing or cover to engage with a locking member of special construction con- Serial No. 177,419.

necting said openings and rigidly secured within the lock casing whereby tension in either direction on the sealing strip will automatically cause it to break.

A feature of the present construction is its simplicity combined with durability and efficiency in operation.

Furthermore, the addition of the seal and the means for automatically looking it necessitating practically no material changes in the existing construction of mail bag and other locks, enable it to be readily included therewith.

Another essential feature of my invention over the art as heretofore practised is that with it the seal-carrying strip is doubly locked, this being provided for by the improvedconstruction of the sealing strip itself and the locking member mounted under cover and through which the sealing strip travels.

From a commercial standpoint and generally speaking, the results obtained at comparatively low cost, in security for the contents of mail bags and the like, are very considerable.

Reference is now had to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred example of the invention is disclosed as applied to the mail bag lock of the grommet type described in the above mentioned United States application and in which-like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure,

, Figure 1 is perspective view of the combined lock and seal,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the looking bolt.

Figure 4 is a perspective detail of the bracket with a passageway for the strip secured within the lock casing or cover.

Figure 5 is a plan view of same.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of bracket with a passageway for the sealing strip.

Figure 8 is a sectional detail of same.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the strip.

Figure is a perspective View of the locking plate.

Figure 11 is a longitudinal section of a moditied form of strip.

leferring now more particularly to the drawings, A designates a mail ba lock of well known grommet lock construction and B the locking bolt extending threrethrough and protruding beyond the casing, as at 10. C is the neck strap for the mail bag, to which the opposite end of the locking, bolt B is rigidly secured.

The protruding end of the locking bolt is provided with a slot 11 to engage with a flexible metallic strip 12 formed with a. seal 13 to retain the strip within the locking bolt slot 11, in other words, to detaehably anchor the strip in the protruding end of the locking bolt.

Adjacent to this protruding, end is an opening 14 in the top 15 of the cover or easing of the lock while registering with this opening is a second opening 17 in the side 18 of the casing.

Rigidly mounted in the side of the casing between the openings let and 17 is the strip locking member D (see Figure 4) forming an essential feature of my invention and comprising, a scoop-shaped channelled body portion 19 having integral therewith a plate 20 conforming to the contour thereof and adapted to be rigidly secured on the inside of the casing (see Figure 2), the curvedbase of the body portion being designed to register at opposite ends with the openings 14 and 17 and to form therebet-ween a downwardly curved guideway 22.

lVithin the scoop-shaped channelled body portion is fitted a curved plate 23 of resilient metal, folded upon itself and the o\-'er-hanginn ends being adapted to engage with the slots 21 in the sides 25 and 26 of the body portion 19. the over-hanging ends of plate .23 protruding beyond said sides (see Figure 4).

Centrally arrai'iged in the top is a slot 27 adapted, when in position, to register with the top opening l-l in the casing. designed to engage. as hereinafter more fully described, with the metallic sealing strip 12.

As illustrated in Figure 9, this strip is formed with spaced bosses 2S alternately provided on opposite sides thereof and protrudinc in the same direction to engage and lock with the locking: member at the bottom and top thereof.

In Figure 11 a boss 29, spaced from the aforementioned bosses. 28. is shown protruding; in the opposite direction to engage with the slot in the top of the locking plate.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the plate 23 of spring or resilient material, folded upon itself, will tend to clamp against the base of the portion 19 and similarly when the sealing strip is introduced through the opening ll and through the slot :37 and downwardly between the folds of the locking plate as it may be called, and then outwardly through the opening 17, it can be drawn in this direction through the formation of the bosses until the boss 29, protruding in the opposite direction to the bosses 28, engages with the plate 23.

l urthermore, any interference with the strip after it has passed through the member l) and between the opening 1* and the locking bolt will cause one of the bos. s 28 to engage with the lower end of the locking plate 23 while at the same time the boss spaced therefrom on the other side will automatically engage and lock with the slot 27 in the top of the plate.

In this way it will be seen that the sealcarrying strip is doubly locked against tampering or pulling back once it has been inserted and drawn through the member I). This is a feature of my invention, which, it is submitted, has not heretofore been described or disclosed and the advantages of it over s 'aling means at present in use will be sel t-erident.

The combination with the member D, which is maintained under cover in the easing. providing a locking element in one direction for a seal-carrying strip in turn pro vided with bosses in spaced relationship to one another and alternately arranged on diff rent sides of the strip, ensures the maximum of protection in the securing of mail bags or any other property to which it can be applied.

In the modified form, as illustrated in Figure 7, of the locking member D, the spring, locking, plate, instead of being folded on itself and having" an extended top with a slot in it, is shown as a single plate 330, the over-hanging ends of which are adapted to engage with the slots in the sides of the scoop-shaped channe led body portion and designed, as already (ilescribed. to engage with the bosses .28 on the strip when the latter is drawn bru-kwardly. This construction only provides for a single locking of the strip whereas, as pi't".'iou.-d r mentioned. the locking member provides for double lockine' thereof.

It may here be mentioned that the spaces between the bases 28 on opposite sides of the strip are arranged to correspond with the spa es between the lower end of the lockin'r plate and the slot "27 in the top of the plate 23. so that, as hereinbel'ore described, two of the bosses simultaneously and automatically engage with the locking plate.

As many changes could be made in the above construction. and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims. con structed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all mat- Ill) ter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. What I claim as my invention is l. A de ics of the character described comprising in con'ibination, a casing, a locln.

ing bolt extending through and protruding beyond the casing and provided with an opening therethrough, openings in the easing, a locking member rigidly mounted within the casing between said openings and comnmnicating therewith, spring locking means in said member, a strip of flexible metal formed with a seal adapted to engage with the opening in the bolt and to extend through the openings in tl e casing and through the locking member within the casing, and to travel freely in one direction, means formed on said strip adapted at a yiwredetermined point in, the travel thereof to engage with the locking member to lock the strip and means further formed on said strip adapted on the strip being tensioned in the opposite direction to engage with the locking member at two different points simultaneously to double lock the strip.

2. Sealing means for mail bag locks comprising in combination a casing, a locking bolt, a substantially channel-shaped meml or, a plate of resilient metal folded on itself adapted to fit into the channel-shaped memher, a slot in the folded end of said plate and extensions integral with the folded end, slots in the sides of the channel-shaped memher to engage with said plate, a sealing strip formed at spaced intervals on opposite sides thereof with bosses protruding in the same direction whereby on the strip being inserted in the channel-shaped member it will travel freely in one direction through the slot-ted,

head and through the plate and whereby on the strip being tensioned in the opposite direction a boss on one side thereof will engage with the lower end of said plate and a boss on the opposite side will engage with the slot in said plate to securely double lock the strip.

3. A sealing attachment for looks comprising a channel member open at both ends, a plate of resilient metal folded on itself provided with a slot and designed to fit snugly into said channel and to automatically impinge on the bottom thereof, a sealing strip adapted to travel freely in one direction and up to a predetermined point through said plate and the channel member, similarly protruding bulges formed in the strip spaced from one another and alternately arranged on opposite sides of the strip whereby on tension being exerted on the strip to move it backwardly the strip automatically engages with said plate at separated points to double lock therewith.

4. A sealing attachment for locks comprising a channel member open at both ends, a

plate of resilient material folded on itself and provided with a slot designed to fit snugly in said member, a metallic seal carrying strip operatively engaging with said plate, stops spaced from one another and arranged alternately on the strip, a stop spaced from the aforementioned stops whereby on tension being exerted on the strip to move it in one direction the stops on the strip will simultaneously and automatically engage with the plate to double lock with the strip and whereby on the strip being tensioned in the opposite direction the step will automatically engage and lock with said plate.

5. A sealing attachment for looks comprising a channel member provided with a spring plate folded on itself and having a slot in the folded-end, slots in the sides of the channel member, means integral with the slotted end of the plate for engaging with said slots, a seal carrying metallic strip adapted to travel freely in one direction through the locking member and means on the strip adapted at a predetermined point in its travel through the locking member to lock the strip and means further formed on the locking member adapted on the strip being tcnsioned in the opposite direction to automatically engage with and double lock the strip in said member.

6. A sealing attachment for looks comprising a channel member provided with aspring plate folded on itself and having engaging means therein, means in the sides of the channel member and means integral with the plate for engaging with said means, a seal carrying strip of flexible material adapted to travel freely in one direction through the locking member, and means formed on the strip adapted on the strip being tensioned to automatically engage at one or more points in the channel member to lock the strip therein.

7. A sealing device of the character described comprising a strip engaging member adapted to form a guideway, an intercepting spring plate rigidly mounted in the guideway and automatically impinging against the bottom thereof, a seal carrying strip formed with a plurality of suitably arranged and spaced bulges adapted to travel in the guideway freely in one direction to a predetermined point and on being tensioned to travelin the opposite direction to automatically lock with said plate, a casing for the strip receiving member having an intake and discharge opening therein communicating with said member.

8. The combination with a lock having a protruding locking bolt, a seal carrying strip in said bolt, a lock casing. a locking member rigidly mounted within the casing, strip intake and discharge openings in the casing communicating with said member and a 10 take and discharge openings in the casing comu'iunicating with said member and a spring plate in said member adapted to permit free travel of the strip up to a predetermined point in one direction and to automatically lock the strip in its travel through said member in the opposite direction.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARCHIE EDGAR LOW. 

